2011-12: Looking Back, Looking Forward – Part 3

There is also a need for us to educate and build public support for economic reforms. As it turns out, every time a reform is proposed, the ones who are disintermediated or negatively impacted are the ones who shout loudest – and therefore get heard. The ones who benefit – in the majority – haven’t been explained the benefits in a language they can understand, and so stay silent. No prizes for guessing the outcome.

India needs economic reforms – and more importantly, it needs a vocal constituency that supports these reforms. In 2011, India’s stock market lost nearly 40% in dollar terms. The bad policies are hurting our pockets and our futures. We cannot stand idly by. We need a change in objectives of government and the policies – and we need to understand this. If not, we can expect a 2012 that is likely to also be bad.

The political space is fascinating – if you think about it with a non-politician mindset. I see it as an entrepreneur – white spaces, inefficiencies, opportunities for disruptive innovation. All of this needs to be done without worrying about the outcome (or ‘exit’ in start-up terms). That is what I want to do in 2012.